Jewelry Stories with Laurel Blount

Hello again, and welcome to a new Jewelry Stories post! I am thrilled to welcome today’s guest, Laurel Blount, as we talk about her Johns Mill Amish Romance Series. In particular, we’re going to discuss the first book, Shelter in the Storm, and share some jewelry and bookish bling that I hope you will enjoy. 🙂

It’s no secret that I love Amish fiction, having read it since its earliest days with Beverly Lewis and Cindy Woodsmall leading the way. Shelter in the Storm was Laurel’s first venture into this genre, and I heartily encourage you to read it if you haven’t!

We’ll start today’s post with a short Q&A, then a glimpse into 6 new designs created especially for this book. Hope y’all enjoy!

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Christy – Your book, Shelter in the Storm, could be taken straight from some of the Amish headlines we’ve seen in recent years.  What made you want to incorporate that sort of tragedy in your story?

Laurel – Great question! One of the reasons we are so intrigued by the Amish is because they walk out their beliefs in very literal and practical ways. When I visited the Menno-Hoff museum in Shipshewana, the guide explained that the Amish hold up every decision against the question, “Will this bring us closer to God or draw us away from Him?” This has guided their decisions about many things including transportation, dress, modern technology, etc. 

It flows into their belief about forgiveness, as well. They believe that they are required by God to forgive others, no matter how grave the offense. And so, when we’ve seen some of these very troubling headlines, we’ve also seen evidence of that obedient forgiveness. The selflessness of this has often stunned the world into humble admiration.  

As a writer, I wanted to explore this aspect of Amish life through the lives of the four Hochstedler siblings. I hoped to show how, although they struggle at times to uphold that tenet of their faith, with God’s help—they each are brought safely through this terrible family storm.  I also think that God’s amazing light, the joy, peace  love and grace He gives are even more striking when we see them overcoming great darkness—and I wanted this story to spotlight the beauty—and the hope—of that.

C – As far as I am aware, the Amish do not have many creative endeavors (at least, not by English standards), but many ladies are talented with quilting & sewing.  We also know that their clothes are plain in design and color.  Does this extend to quilting or are they able to use more colorful fabrics and designs?

L – Oh, yes, Amish woman are amazingly creative. The just have to find outlets that are approved by their church. 

C – I love that quilt! So unique how the maker has made the top right corner resemble rays of sunshine.

For readers that are new to your books, can you share what you have written so far and what is upcoming?

L – Shelter in the Storm was my first Amish romance, and my first book for Berkley. There’ll be four books in the Johns Mill series, one for each of the Hochstedler siblings. The second book, Strength in the Storm will be released on February 22. The third book Courage in the Storm will be published in November, and the final story will follow next year. 

In addition to my Amish fiction, I also write Christian contemporary romances for Love Inspired. My sixth Love Inspired romance, Her Mountain Refuge releases on May 24. 

C – Laurel, thank you so much for your time today and sharing about the Amish and their creative endeavors! Please come for another visit soon!

Keep scrolling for lots of book excerpts from Shelter in the Storm plus all the new jewelry!

The less Joseph saw of his brother with that scruff of new-married beard on his face, the easier it would be to hold his tongue. That was exactly what he had to do, until his stubborn heart fell in line with the faith he’d been born and baptized into–a faith that required forgiveness, regardless of the offense.

She’d never forget the sacrifices her community had then made just so she could be standing at this sink washing dishes, her heart beating in a blessedly normal cadence. Naomi’s health had been bought at a price, and she planned to make up for lost time, working hard and doing all the good she could.

She (Naomi) knew at least one of her brothers had proposed that way. David hadn’t told her anything about it, of course, but her sister-in-law had. Driving her home that evening, David had taken a long detour around a pond, and then he’d paused in a pretty spot. She’d known then that something was afoot. And right there, sitting in the buggy, he’d asked her to be his wife, offering her a pretty whistle he’d whittled to mark the occasion. Her future sister-in-law hadn’t known what to think of David’s choice of gifts. Mostly if a present was given, it was some nice, practical thing that the girl could use in her new home. But Lena had laughed when David had explained that she only had to whistle, and he’d come running for the rest of his life.

A muscle jumped in Joseph’s cheek as he gritted his teeth. “I will show him kindness.”

“I like quilting. It’s fun, not like making clothes. I enjoy picking out the colors and the patterns and matching them together.”

“In the darkness,” Naomi added softly, “we cling to what Gott showed us in the daytime, ja? It is like picking your way through your bedroom at night. We remember and we choose our path correctly, even though we cannot see.”

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WOW! So happy with how everything came together for today’s Jewelry Stories post. To be honest, I was a little nervous making actual jewelry based on an Amish novel. Up to now, I’ve only featured bookmarks. For Shelter, I wanted to do more than a bookmark, yet keep the overall designs as simple as possible.

As soon as I read the line about forgiveness, I immediately had this picture in my mind of a stamped necklace with the word “forgiven.” It stayed with me until I reached the end and was one of the first pieces I completed for this book. For the heartbeat bracelet, I knew I wanted a heartbeat connector, and it wasn’t until I started seeing these polymer clay heishi beaded bracelets everywhere that I knew they would be perfect to combine together.

The whistle necklace almost didn’t happen because I had to hunt for a while to find the whistle I wanted. I even pulled out my sticky notes from the book because after a few weeks, I just thought it was not going to come together. I absolutely loved the excerpt as it Thankfully, I found the right one! The “Be Kind” charms have been in my stash for a couple of years, and they were perfect to pair with this story. The bookmark was another design that started to form in my mind as I was reading the story. I actually found the ribbon while I was out Christmas shopping one day, and the beads were already in my stash, too. 🙂

Last but not least was the dark night bracelet. Originally, I designed a bracelet with different beads and charms. The only bad thing was that I only had enough supplies to make three, and no way to get more. 🙁 After sharing the designs with Laurel, she snagged two leaving us with just one! That meant going back to the drawing board to design something that was similar, but able to be replicated in the future more easily. If you would like to see the original bracelet (and note that I only have ONE LEFT), scroll up and click the link underneath the last picture to take you to the listing. I’ve linked the other 5 designs to their listing pages as well so you can get more details on those items, too. 🙂

Whew – thank y’all for sticking around to the very end today! Thanks so much to our special guest, Laurel Blount, for visiting today and sharing about one of her trips to Amish country. If you are not already following her on social media, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, or you can sign up for her email newsletter (where I have it on good authority that she loves to spoil her subscribers!).

And as always, if you’d like to get notified of future Jewelry Stories, take a minute to sign up for my email list so you can get notifications when that next post goes live.

Until next time!